'Does Bondo mean a pig or anything like that in Japanese?'
'No. It has no meaning.'
'Forgive my asking. The Japanese seem to enjoy many private jokes at the expense of the gaijin. I referred the other day to a friend of mine called "Monkey" McCall whom we used to call "Munko". You told me that this was an unmentionable word in your language. So I thought "Bondo" might be equally unmentionable.'
'Have no fear. It is totally respectable.'
The weeks had passed without any significant progress in Bond's mission except in the direction of what seemed to be a genuine friendship between Bond, Tiger and Dikko. Outside working hours the three men became wellnigh inseparable, but Bond sensed that on their excursions into the countryside and during their roistering in the evenings he was being constantly, but with great discretion3, sized up. Dikko had confirmed Bond's impression. 'I think you're making progress, champ. Tiger would regard it as dishonourable to lead you up the garden path and then pull the rug out from under you with a flat refusal. Something's definitely cooking in the background, but what it is I haven't the faintest idea. I guess the ball's with Tiger's superiors, but with Tiger on your side. And, in the vernacular4, Tiger's got what's called "a broad face". That means he has great powers as a fixer. And this ON he's got in respect of Britain is a huge factor in your favour. What he gave you on your first meeting was an unheard-of presento, as we call it here. But watch out! You're piling up a great heap of ON in respect of Tiger. And if it comes to striking a bargain, I hope you've got a pretty massive presento up your sleeve so that the ON on both sides is more or less evenly balanced. None of this salmon5 and shrimp6 business! Have got? Can do?'
'I'm not so sure,' said Bond doubtfully. The Macao 'Blue Route' material had already dwindled7 in his mind to the size of a minnow in comparison with the salmon that was Tiger's to give or withhold8. The impact of the single slice he had handed Bond had already been formidable. The test of the zoo-megaton bomb had duly taken place and had been greeted by the public uproar9 anticipated by Moscow. But counter-action by the West had been swift. On the excuse of protecting Soviet10 personnel in England from demonstrations11 of public animosity, they had been confined within a radius12 of twenty miles of their homes, and 'for their protection' police were thick round the Soviet Embassy, the consulates13 and their various trading offices. There had, of course, been reprisals14 on British diplomats15 and journalists in Russia, but these were to have been expected. Then President Kennedy had come out with the strongest speech of his career, and had committed total reprisals from the United States in the event of a single nuclear device being exploded by the Soviet union in any country in the world outside Soviet territory. This thundering pronouncement, which had produced a growl16 of dismay from the American man-in-the-street, was greeted from Moscow by the feeble riposte that they would take similar action in answer to any Western nuclear device exploded on the territory of the USSR or her allies.
A few days later Bond had been summoned again to Tiger's underground hideout. 'You will not of course repeat this,' Tiger had said with his wicked smile. 'But action in respect of the matter of which you are privately17 aware has been indefinitely postponed18 by the Central Authority.'
'Thank you for this private information,' Bond had said. 'But you do realize how your kindness of three weeks ago has greatly alleviated19 the international tension, particularly in relation to my country. My country would be immensely grateful if they knew of your personal generosity20 to me. Have I grounds for hoping for your further indulgence?' Bond had got used to the formalities of Oriental circumlocution21, although he had not yet attained22 the refinements23 of Dikko's speech with Tiger, which included at least one four-letter word in each flowery sentence and which caused Tiger much amusement.
'Bondo-san, this implement24 which you wish to rent from us, in the most improbable event that it is made available, will command a very high price. As a fair trader, what has your country to offer in exchange for the full use of MAGIC 44?'
'We have a most important intelligence network in China known as the Macao "Blue Route". The fruits of this source would be placed entirely25 at your disposal.'
Melancholy26 settled over Tiger's massive face, but deep down in the Tartar eyes there was a wicked gleam. 'I am very much afraid that I have bad news for you, Bondo-san. "Blue Route" has been penetrated27 by my organization almost since its inception28. We already receive the entire fruits of that source. I could show you the files if you wish. We have simply renamed it "Route Orange", and I admit that the material is very acceptable. But we already have it. What other goods had you in mind for exchange?'
Bond had to laugh. The pride of Section J - and of M., for that matter! The work, the expense, the danger of running the 'Blue Route'. And at least fifty per cent in aid of Japan! By God, his eyes were being opened on this trip. This news would put a fine cat among the pigeons at HQ. He said blandly29, 'We have many other commodities. Now that you have demonstrated the undoubted value of your implement, may I suggest that you name your price?'
'You believe that you have something on your shelves that is of comparable value? Perhaps material from a similar, though no doubt inferior, source that would be of equal importance in the defence of our country?'
'Undoubtedly,' said Bond staunchly. 'But, my dear Tiger, would it not be a good idea, once your mind is made up, for you to pay a visit to London and inspect the shelves for yourself? I am sure my Chief would be honoured to receive you.'
'You do not possess full powers of negotiation30?'
'That would be impossible, my dear Tiger. Our security is such that even I have not full knowledge of all our merchandise. So far as I personally am concerned, I am only in a position to pass on to my Chief the substance of what you say or to render you any other personal services you might ask of me.'
For a moment, Tiger Tanaka looked thoughtful. He seemed to be turning Bond's last words over in his mind. Then he closed the interview with the invitation to the geisha restaurant, and Bond went off with mixed feelings to report to Melbourne and London what he had gleaned31.
In the room where he now sat after the geisha party, and where Tiger had just cheerfully threatened him with death, tigers' heads snarled32 at him from the walls and gnashed at him from the floor. His ashtray33 was enclosed in a stuffed tiger's paw and the chair in which he was sitting was upholstered in tiger's skin. Mr Tanaka had been born in the year of the Tiger, whereas Bond, as Tiger had taken much pleasure in telling him, had been born in the year of the Rat.
Bond took a deep drink of sake and said, 'My dear Tiger, I would hate to put you to the inconvenience of having to remove me from the face of the earth. You mean that this time the cedar34 may not bow before the typhoon? So be it. This time you have my very topmost word of honour.'
Tiger pulled up a chair and faced Bond across the low drink table. He poured himself a liberal tot of Suntory and splashed in the soda35. The sound of night traffic from the main Tokyo-Yokohama road came in from some way beyond the surrounding houses, only a few of which now showed doll's-house squares of yellow light. It was the end of September, but warm. It was ten minutes to midnight. Tiger began talking in a soft voice. 'In that case, my dear Bondo-san, and since I know you to be a man of honour, except, of course, in matters affecting your country, which this does not, I will tell you quite an interesting story. This is how it is.' He got out of his chair and sat down on the tatami and arranged himself in the lotus position. He was obviously more comfortable in this posture36. He said, in an expository tone of voice, 'Ever since the beginning of the era of Meiji, who you will know was the Emperor who fathered the modernization37 and Westernization of Japan from the beginning of his reign2 nearly a hundred years ago, there have from time to time been foreigners who have come to this country and settled here. They have for the most part been cranks and scholars, and the European-born American Lafcadio Hearn, who became a Japanese citizen, is a very typical example. In general, they have been tolerated, usually with some amusement. So, perhaps, would be a Japanese who bought a castle in the Highlands of Scotland, and who learned and spoke38 Gaelic with his neighbours and expressed unusual and often impertinent interest in Scottish folkways. If he went about his researches politely and peaceably, he would be dubbed39 an amiable40 eccentric. And so it has been with the Westerners who have settled and spent their lives in Japan, though occasionally, in time of war, as would no doubt be the case with our mythical41 Japanese in Scotland, they have been regarded as spies and suffered internment42 and hardship. Now, since the occupation, there have been many such settlers, the great majority of whom, as you can imagine, have been American. The Oriental way of life is particularly attractive to the American who wishes to escape from a culture which, I am sure you will agree, has become, to say the least of it, more and more unattractive except to the lower grades of the human species to whom bad but plentiful43 food, shiny toys such as the automobile44 and the television, and the "quick buck45", often dishonestly earned, or earned in exchange for minimal46 labour or skills, are the summum bonum, if you will allow the sentimental47 echo from my Oxford48 education.'
'I will,' said Bond. 'But is this not a picture of the life that is being officially encouraged in your own country?'
Tiger Tanaka's face darkened perceptibly. 'For the time being,' he said with distaste, 'we are being subjected to what I can best describe as the "Scuola di Coca-Cola". Baseball, amusement arcades49, hot dogs, hideously50 large bosoms51, neon lighting52 - these are the part of our payment for defeat in battle. They are the tepid53 tea of the way of life we know under the name of demokorasu. They are a frenzied54 denial of the official scapegoats55 for our defeat - a denial of the spirit of the samurai as expressed in the kami-kaze, a denial of our ancestors, a denial of our gods. They are a despicable way of life' - Tiger almost spat56 the words - 'but fortunately they are also expendable and temporary. They have as much importance in the history of Japan as the life of a dragonfly.' He paused. 'But to return to my story. Our American residents are of a sympathetic type - on a low level of course. They enjoy the subservience57, which I may say is only superficial, of our women. They enjoy the remaining strict patterns of our life - the symmetry, compared with the chaos58 that reigns59 in America. They enjoy our simplicity60, with its underlying61 hint of deep meaning, as expressed for instance in the tea ceremony, flower arrangements, NO plays - none of which of course they understand. They also enjoy, because they have no ancestors and probably no family life worth speaking of, our veneration62 of the old and our worship of the past. For, in their impermanent world, they recognize these as permanent things just as, in their ignorant and childish way, they admire the fictions of the Wild West and other American myths that have become known to them, not through their education, of which they have none, but through television.'
'This is tough stuff, Tiger. I've got a lot of American friends who don't equate63 with what you're saying. Presumably you're talking of the lower level GIs - second-generation Americans who are basically Irish or Germans or Czechs or Poles who probably ought to be working in the fields or coalmines of their countries of origin instead of swaggering around a conquered country under the blessed coverlet of the Stars and Stripes with too much money to spend. I daresay they occasionally marry a Japanese girl and settle down here. But surely they pull up stumps64 pretty quickly. Our Tommies have done the same thing in Germany. But that's quite a different thing from the Lafcadio Hearns of the world.'
Tiger Tanaka bowed almost to the ground. 'Forgive me, Bondo-san. Of course you are right, and I have been diverted from my story down most unworthy paths. I did not ask you here to pour out my innermost repugnance65 at the occupation of my country. This of course is repugnance against the fact of defeat. I apologize. And of course you are correct. There are many cultured Americans who have taken up residence in this country and who are most valued citizens. You are right to correct me, for I have friends of this nature, in the arts, the sciences, in literature, and they are indeed valued members of the community. I was, let us say, letting off steam. You understand?'
'Of course, Tiger. My country has not been occupied for many centuries. The imposition of a new culture on an old one is something we have not suffered. I cannot imagine my reactions in the same circumstances. Much the same as yours, I expect. Please go on with your story.' Bond reached for the sake flask66. It stood in a jar of warm water being heated over a slow flame from a charcoal67 burner. He filled his glass and drank. Tiger Tanaka rocked two or three times on his buttocks and the sides of his feet. He resumed.
'As I have said, there are a number of foreigners who have taken up residence in Japan and, for the most part, they are inoffensive eccentrics. But there is one such person who entered the country in January of this year who has revealed himself to be an eccentric of the most devilish nature. This man is a monster. You may laugh, Bondo-san, but this man is no less than a fiend in human form.'
'I have met many bad men in my time, Tiger, and generally they have been slightly mad. Is that the case in this instance?'
'Very much the reverse. The calculated ingenuity68 of this man, his understanding of the psychology69 of my people, show him to be a man of quite outstanding genius. In the opinion of our highest scholars and savants he is a scientific research worker and collector probably unique in the history of the world.'
'What does he collect?'
'He collects death.'
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1
consonants
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| n.辅音，子音( consonant的名词复数 )；辅音字母 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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shrimp
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| n.虾，小虾；矮小的人 | |
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dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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withhold
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| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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10
Soviet
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| adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃 | |
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demonstrations
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| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
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radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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consulates
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| n.领事馆( consulate的名词复数 ) | |
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reprisals
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| n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 ) | |
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diplomats
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| n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人 | |
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16
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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17
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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18
postponed
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| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
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alleviated
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| 减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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circumlocution
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| n. 绕圈子的话，迂回累赘的陈述 | |
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22
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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23
refinements
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| n.（生活）风雅；精炼( refinement的名词复数 )；改良品；细微的改良；优雅或高贵的动作 | |
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implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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inception
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| n.开端，开始，取得学位 | |
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blandly
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| adv.温和地，殷勤地 | |
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negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 | |
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31
gleaned
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| v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗 | |
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32
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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ashtray
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| n.烟灰缸 | |
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cedar
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| n.雪松，香柏(木) | |
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soda
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| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
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posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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modernization
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| n.现代化，现代化的事物 | |
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38
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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39
dubbed
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| v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制 | |
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40
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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mythical
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| adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的 | |
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42
internment
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| n.拘留 | |
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43
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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45
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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46
minimal
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| adj.尽可能少的，最小的 | |
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47
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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48
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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49
arcades
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| n.商场( arcade的名词复数 )；拱形走道（两旁有商店或娱乐设施）；连拱廊；拱形建筑物 | |
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50
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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51
bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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52
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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53
tepid
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| adj.微温的，温热的，不太热心的 | |
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54
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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55
scapegoats
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| n.代人受过的人，替罪羊( scapegoat的名词复数 )v.使成为替罪羊( scapegoat的第三人称单数 ) | |
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56
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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57
subservience
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| n.有利，有益；从属（地位），附属性；屈从，恭顺；媚态 | |
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58
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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59
reigns
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| n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期 | |
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60
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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61
underlying
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| adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的 | |
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62
veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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63
equate
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| v.同等看待，使相等 | |
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64
stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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65
repugnance
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| n.嫌恶 | |
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66
flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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67
charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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68
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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69
psychology
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| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
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